PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – Senior Alexa Fisher (Powell, Ohio) poured in a career-high 31 points to pace four Ohio Dominican women's basketball players in double figures Thursday evening, as the Panthers defeated Ursuline on the road in Great Midwest competition, 88-73.

Ohio Dominican led for over 37 minutes of play, most of which by double figures, but a three-pointer by the Arrows with 2:44 to play cut the Panthers' advantage to six points, 77-71. Fisher though, scored 17 of ODU's final 19 points, as the Black & Gold finished the game on an 11-2 run to capture the 15-point victory.

The Panthers have now won 10 of their last 12 games, including six of the past seven outings. As a result, ODU is now 15-11 overall and 10-6 in conference play. Ursuline falls to 6-19 overall and 3-13 in the G-MAC with the loss.

An early 9-2 scoring run gave the Panthers a 15-9 edge, and back-to-back treys from Fisher and sophomore Kennedy Schlabach (Millersburg, Ohio) pushed the lead to seven points at 23-16. Ursuline though, rallied and a three-pointer at the buzzer closed the ODU lead to 29-26 10 minutes in. Fisher had 10 points in the first quarter on 4-of-6 shooting.

Both sides shot over 55 percent in the first half, going a combined 35-of-62 from the floor (.565) and 11-of-18 from behind the arc (.611). With 25 combined points from Fisher and Schlabach, ODU led 48-37 at the intermission.

The Panthers then pushed their advantage to as many as 14 points in the third quarter, and led by that margin, 67-53, with 10 minutes remaining. The Arrows however, showed their resilience once again, using four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to pull within single digits on several occasions, including the six-point margin with less than three minutes to play.

To go along with Fisher's scoring down the stretch, ODU allowed UC to make only one of its final four shots, plus the Panthers forced a pair of turnovers in the final 2:44 to aid the final scoring run. Overall, the Panthers turned 21 Arrow giveaways into 27 points and an 18-0 edge in fast break points.

Fisher finished 11-of-18 from the field, including a career-best seven made three-pointers on 11 attempts (.636). The senior added four rebounds and three assists as well. Schlabach had 11 of her 14 points in the first half, as she made four shots from behind the arc.

Also scoring in double figures were senior Brittleigh Macaulay (Big Prairie, Ohio) and junior Angela Troyer (Sugarcreek, Ohio). Macaulay made 6-of-9 shots for 12 points and was one of four players with multiple steals. Troyer logged 11 points, four assists and two steals. Senior Emily Thomas (Pickerington, Ohio) pitched in seven points and two steals off the bench and sophomore Alli Kern (Waterford, Ohio) paced the Panthers with nine rebounds to go along with four points and four assists.

Overall, ODU and Ursuline finished with a field goal percentage above 52 percent. The Panthers made 34-of-65 shots (.523) and were 14-for-24 from deep (.583). The Black & Gold also enjoyed a slight edge on the glass, 26-22.

Ohio Dominican has now finished its regular season road slate and will return home to host Alderson Broaddus in its next contest. The Panthers and Battlers are slated for a 3 p.m. start inside Alumni Hall on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu